New mindee starting - advice please : CM Club

[peckarollover]

I posted last week about the baby I will be looking after requiring pick up and drop off.

Well we are going with it to see how it works out.

On one of the days that I have the baby I also have my DS (2.5) and a 21 month old little girl.

So far in my childminding career I have done it very part time with just my DS plus a mindee at a time.

Just wanted reassurance that having three children at a time is ok.

The baby will be 6 months when he starts.

I had ds who was ummm just turned 1 at the time and twins started who were one and a half. It was hard work, particualarly going out, as I had to carry one of the twins in a sling, as she was the lightest, and put the boys in a double buggy. She wasn't that light though lol. That was probably the only hard thing. I had the twins 30 hours a week (10 hours 3 days) and it's a long day but ds loves the company.

I will have this baby two long days but on only one of them will I have another mindee.

I feel a bit worried too about the existing mindees mum. Hope she doesnt think the care of her DD will be affected.

I usually have my full quota of under fives - it is hard work, especially with a baby, but minding three children is definitely OK. I guess it will be a new experience for you if you only have one of your own (?), but the older two will probably be very interested in the baby.

I would reassure the other mindee's mum that you can cope with all of them, albeit that you are a bit nervous - I think it's lovely to have a mix in ages of children.

I have two children of my own and am used to having three (friends baby plus mine or my kids plus niece) its the pressure to perform i think!

I too worried about this Peckarollover - I have had the two toddlers aged 2.8 for a while and now have a 12 week old baby - I don't mind saying myself that I manage fantastically - I am also taking on a 14 month old too but will only have one of the toddlers and baby on this day - I feel confident but will be much more hard work

I think the wonderful thing about childminding is that you can be busy busy busy all day long (and I do far more with my mindees than ever I did with my own) - but you do send them home at the end of the day (unless you're mad enough to offer overnight ... Tan??!) And then you get given money for it!

There is something immeasurably immoral about having a cup of coffee and a chocolate biscuit at toddler group, and being paid for it.

(Would like to add that I do work hard for my money too, despite the coffee and biscuit! )

Totally relate to that - it is such hard work but then the times when they are playing really well together and you manage to grab a cuppa I always think "this is ok"!!!

of course its ok to have a cuppa and a choccy biccy at work, you would sit at your desk with a drink or have a lunch hour/ half hour so i think all childminders deserve 5 mins if the children are occupied its not as if you're locking yourself in a room and theyre all hammering and screaming out side the door just so you can have 5 mins is it?

The way I see it is that if you do not have your sustenance and cuppa, how can we function effectively

TP - not started the overnight care yet so guess I am just not mad enough yet

Doesn't stop me feeling guilty for sitting at toddler group with my coffee and chatting to friends, watching mindees play from afar!